SpaceX (general discussion)

[TomS]

Standing down from the Starlink mission, due to tropical storm Arthur, until after launch of Crew Demo-2

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 18, 2020

That is bad news for Starship.

How does this have anything at all to do with Starship? Different launch vehicles in different states.

This isn’t a Starship thread it’s a general Space X thread.

Yes. But you replied to a post about a delay I the Falcon 9 Starlink launch with "bad for Starship" which doesn't make sense.

 

[Hanse]

Standing down from the Starlink mission, due to tropical storm Arthur, until after launch of Crew Demo-2

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 18, 2020

That is bad news for Starship.

How does this have anything at all to do with Starship? Different launch vehicles in different states.

This isn’t a Starship thread it’s a general Space X thread.

Is that supposed to explain how the Starlink launch standing down is bad news for Starship?

 

[Flyaway]

Standing down from the Starlink mission, due to tropical storm Arthur, until after launch of Crew Demo-2

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 18, 2020

That is bad news for Starship.

How does this have anything at all to do with Starship? Different launch vehicles in different states.

This isn’t a Starship thread it’s a general Space X thread.

Yes. But you replied to a post about a delay I the Falcon 9 Starlink launch with "bad for Starship" which doesn't make sense.

I’d ask why someone else was talking about Starship in the first place in relation to this?

 

[Flyaway]

Static fire test for SN4 now moved to NET Tuesday.

 

[TomS]

Standing down from the Starlink mission, due to tropical storm Arthur, until after launch of Crew Demo-2

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 18, 2020

That is bad news for Starship.

How does this have anything at all to do with Starship? Different launch vehicles in different states.

This isn’t a Starship thread it’s a general Space X thread.

Yes. But you replied to a post about a delay I the Falcon 9 Starlink launch with "bad for Starship" which doesn't make sense.

I’d ask why someone else was talking about Starship in the first place in relation to this?

??? You are the one who first mentioned Starship in response to the Starlink delay.

 

[FighterJock]

Oops. Sorry, my mistake posted it in the wrong thread

 

[Flyaway]

New Heat shield tile arrangement on Starship SN5 in the high-bay. This will most likely decide whether the tiles are attached with an adhesive or mechanically. Many many more images to come. The 2000mm really came in handy today. 🚀 Thank you @austinbarnard45 for showing me home. pic.twitter.com/8PNmgRJk8k

— Coop (@Cooper_Hime) May 19, 2020

Getting you up close and personal with the new reaction control thrusters on the more recent nosecone. pic.twitter.com/4KMbjc712v

— Coop (@Cooper_Hime) May 19, 2020

 

[Flyaway]

Still a fire coming out of an apparent leak on Starship SN4.

Looks like rapid detanking while the fire hoses aim to safe the vehicle.

She's still standing, however!

You can hear SN5 shouting "Tag me in. Tag me in!!"

LIVE: https://t.co/UgHaRIh7Ur pic.twitter.com/9Xu0LBSLEP

— NSF - NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) May 19, 2020

Another static fire under the belt for #SpaceX #Starship #BocaChica #Texas pic.twitter.com/W9vT9u4IMa

— LabPadre Space (@LabPadre) May 19, 2020

 

[Michel Van]

The Static fire test of Engine Nr°20
with some nasty side effects of launch pad parts burning...

 

[Flyaway]

 

[Flyaway]

With #CrewDragon foremost in his mind, @elonmusk says SN4 hop on hold pending successful launch of @astro_doug @AstroBehnken. "I have redirected SpaceX’s priorities to be very focused on the crew launch," Musk says. "As as rough guess, I think we’re a few weeks away from a hop."

— Irene Klotz (@Free_Space) May 24, 2020

 

[Flyaway]

SN4 at the pad. SN5 in the High Bay with SN6 section alongside and now SN7's first rings have been spotted near the big tents.

 

[Flyaway]

The Starship SN5 nosecone skirt really wanted to be the nosecone. This was achieved with the help of last night's gusty winds. 😯🤩🚀@NASASpaceflight https://t.co/o95BDAg0Ul pic.twitter.com/tqiEUvlKAi

— Mary (@BocaChicaGal) May 26, 2020

 

[Flyaway]

Director #DougLiman, who worked with #TomCruise on 'Edge of Tomorrow' and 'America Made,' will helm a secret feature Cruise is developing that will be shot, at least in part, in space https://t.co/ycVOAVuaDt

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 26, 2020

 

[Flyaway]

 

[Grey Havoc]

Russian space chief: Elon Musk’s plan to bomb Mars is a cover to put nuclear weapons in space

SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s idea to bomb Mars to terraform the environment and make it suitable for humans to live on is a ploy to launch nuclear weapons in space, according to Russia’s …

thehill.com

 

[Michel Van]

we have another static test ignition

And we have another static fire with @SpaceX Starship SN4!

No fire on the prototype this time! Well done @elonmusk

Watch now on @LabPadre LIVE Stream!https://t.co/mA9Uxeypsf pic.twitter.com/JoIfCDHTPu

— What about it!? (@FelixSchlang) May 28, 2020

 

[Flyaway]

 

[Flyaway]

A key part of the license is required disclosure of any issues during testing:

"SpaceX must identify and report any anomaly to the FAA occurring on a prior flight of the vehicle or
during any pre-flight processing of the vehicle that could be material to public safety."

— Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) May 28, 2020

SpaceX's launch liability insurance for Starship operations has also gone up, to $198 million from $100 million last year. pic.twitter.com/e7ft5FO2Mw

— Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) May 28, 2020

 

[Dragon029]

0/3903 NOTAM Details

NOTAM for Boca Chica, Monday (01 June), from 1100-1900 UTC (0600-1400 CDT / local time). Unlike previous NOTAMs, this one is "FOR SPACE LAUNCH AND REENTRY [aka landing] OPS", with airspace restricted all the way up to 26,000ft, rather than the 1,500ft they've been using for static fires (other Boca Chica NOTAMs were also just for generic "SPACE OPS", not launches).

SpaceX Information - Cameron County

www.cameroncounty.us

The Cameron County (which covers Boca Chica) website also lists a road closure for Monday 0600-1400 CDT, but not for Sunday, which would be the case if the Monday road closure was just a back-up for a static fire.

All of this is subject to change of course, especially if DM-2 gets delayed into next week (Elon would want to oversee both launches and DM-2 comes first), but with a bit of hope we might see two launches within <48 hours of each other.

 

[Hanse]

OT but I was reading yesterday that the camera used for this shot is setup in an apartment building about six miles away and 350 feet in the air. Observe the atmospheric distortion and imagine trying to focus a laser through that mess. (And this is relatively "clear" air.)

 

[Flyaway]

 

[Boxman]

Looks like Starship SN4 blow'd up...

RIP Starship SN4 😭https://t.co/klPMtZHxjW pic.twitter.com/hrrElBXmSC

— NSF - NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) May 29, 2020

 

[Hanse]

Looks like Starship SN4 blow'd up...

RIP Starship SN4 😭https://t.co/klPMtZHxjW pic.twitter.com/hrrElBXmSC

— NSF - NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) May 29, 2020

No hyperbole there either.

 

[Flyaway]

I imagine questions will start to be asked about the whole Starship project or at least how they are being build as this is getting to be a habit. It also doesn’t look good before the launch of DM-2.

 

[Flyaway]

It looked to me like the lower tank began leaking after a static fire, probably caused a loss of pressure that then resulted in the tank being crushed by the mass in the upper tank. The failure of both tanks lead to ignition and RUD

— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) May 29, 2020

 

[Hanse]

I imagine questions will start to be asked about the whole Starship project or at least how they are being build as this is getting to be a habit.

Don't get your hopes up.

It also doesn’t look good before the launch of DM-2.

Completely unrelated.

 

[Flyaway]

This was a massive detonation! Whew! I'm kinda speechless... #SpaceX #BocaChica #Texas #Starship pic.twitter.com/H3CO0EM3JY

— LabPadre Space (@LabPadre) May 29, 2020

 

[Flyaway]

I imagine questions will start to be asked about the whole Starship project or at least how they are being build as this is getting to be a habit.

Don't get your hopes up.

It also doesn’t look good before the launch of DM-2.

Completely unrelated.

You sound like you have doubts about the Starship project?

 

[Dilandu]

I imagine questions will start to be asked about the whole Starship project or at least how they are being build as this is getting to be a habit. It also doesn’t look good before the launch of DM-2.

Nah, it's unrelated. Starship is a SpaceX personal project, with little to no relation to their existing rocket fleet. Since they used their own money, they could blow up as many prototypes as they needed to figure out the optimal approach, NASA would get involved only when they started to use it as launcher for NASA cargo.

 

[Flyaway]

I imagine questions will start to be asked about the whole Starship project or at least how they are being build as this is getting to be a habit. It also doesn’t look good before the launch of DM-2.

Nah, it's unrelated. Starship is a SpaceX personal project, with little to no relation to their existing rocket fleet. Since they used their own money, they could blow up as many prototypes as they needed to figure out the optimal approach, NASA would get involved only when they started to use it as launcher for NASA cargo.

I meant the public perception.

 

[Flyaway]

I might have been looking at this wrong, it looked to me like lots of cryogenic propellant leaking from under the skirt. I took that to be from the LOX tank, but, maybe instead it’s The fuel line connected to GSE and spraying under pressure. So we got a big cloud of methane.

— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) May 29, 2020

The 90 second delay makes it less likely to be a tank integrity issue. But after fire they’d have a process of closing and opening valves, so the transient stresses are on the lines. That could cause a failure.

— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) May 29, 2020

 

[Hanse]

I imagine questions will start to be asked about the whole Starship project or at least how they are being build as this is getting to be a habit.

Don't get your hopes up.

It also doesn’t look good before the launch of DM-2.

Completely unrelated.

You sound like you have doubts about the Starship project?

I take it English is not your first language?

 

[antigravite]

Hi,

SNs might still be considered expendable test articles at this stage.

Today's SN4 blow up is both bad and good news. Bad news for obvious reasons. Good news in the long run, as SpaceX learns the hardest possible way whatever may go south. Yes, there are problems that must be fixed. SpaceX are building their engineering confidence while testing and solving, incrementally, problems associated with each of these early catastrophic experiences. As pioneers did, between the 1940s and 1960s. Engineering insights gained from this process is invaluable. Ultimately, a refined design will end up in a better, safer vehicle.

SN7 segments have already been spotted and SN construction keeps running at an unusually high pace by any other standards.

So, it takes 20 more articles before a successful flight occurs, I'm still fine with that.

A.

 

[Hanse]

It takes what it takes. Quitting NEVER leads to success.

 

[Flyaway]

I imagine questions will start to be asked about the whole Starship project or at least how they are being build as this is getting to be a habit.

Don't get your hopes up.

It also doesn’t look good before the launch of DM-2.

Completely unrelated.

You sound like you have doubts about the Starship project?

I take it English is not your first language?

And I take it that civility is a foreign concept to you.

 

[Flyaway]

Ever have so much you want to say but just. cant.

— Tom Mueller (@lrocket) May 30, 2020

 

[Flyaway]

 

[Michel Van]

a very good analysis by Scott Manely

eider human error or the umbilical fuel connection failed

I wonder how Musk react on that failure...

 

[Flyaway]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1266560365451763720